Google’s experimental new Search app spotted

NEW DELHI: Google earlier this year during its IO 2017 developer’s conference unveiled Android Go, a mobile OS aimed for regions with slow internet connectivity. It also launched data saver features in Chrome, YouTube Go and other services as well catering to the particular segment. Now, the company is reportedly testing a lighter version of its Search app.

According to the screenshots of the app shared by Android Police, Google is testing its Search Lite in Indonesia. The app will be making it faster to search content even in slow networks. The app is also said to come with some offline features. What remains to be seen is if the app weighs less or not. However, based on the nature of the app, it in all likeliness should weigh less and take less RAM to operate.

Inside the app, users can switch through languages by swiping the main app’s page sideways. The screenshots show Hindi as one of the languages, strongly indicating its arrival in India. There are certain shortcuts to features as well like news, translation, weather, cricket scores, recipes, movies, songs, among others. Users have the option to customise them.

Furthermore, Google Search Lite is being said to support voice and text-based searches as well. What’s interesting is that the search bar is placed at the bottom of the screen instead of on the top, making it easier to access.

To save more data, the app gives users the access to cage the search results to lite web pages only and open them inside the app’s own browser instead of an external browser. We are yet to see an official announcement of the app by Google.

For those unaware, Google a few days back added shortcuts on Android to make it easier for users to get relevant information quickly. “Starting today in English in India, users will experience tappable shortcuts on the Google app for Android, providing users easy access to great tools and the ability to explore deeper within various topics,” said the company in an official release.